Death's Visiting Doors
by Season Of Magic
Summary: All Hallows Eve has a different meaning in the 1500's and that is something Kagome will just have to learn as she lives her life in the Feudal Era. {two-shot}


Season**: **Ohai! _Can you believe I've been working on this little piece since **October** and I just recently finished this chapter up? Of course, it's a two-shot so it's not exactly over yet. I admit, this didn't come out exactly as I had hoped and it seems a bit pressed but what can I say? I have A LOT of other fics to work on so... Take it away Narrator! **  
**_

_Narrator: _**Aren't you even** **going to wish anyone a happy new year? **

Season: No...?

_Narrator: _**This girl! Ugh! Well... Rai-chan doesn't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. Please do not sue, Rai doesn't have any money. I'm not even getting paid myself! **

**[-]**

**Death's Visiting Doors **

by: _Season Of Magic_

**{-}**

Kagome's days of a naive miko had come to a end and she was now on the path to become the village's lead priestress when Kaede passed on.

Of course, everyone knew the old lady had at least a few more years of life on her but she wanted nothing more than to prepare the girl who had become to her as if she were her own child.

The months passed by and soon, a year or two had as well. In that time, Kagome's studies progressed in a way she never imagined possible and things like holidays she had overlooked in her time, had now been given reason and clarity.

Halloween, had been an eye opener for her, that's for sure.

This is the tale of Kagome's first Halloween in the feudal era.

_{-}_

"Kagome wake up dear." Kaede had gotten up even before the sun rose, and was shaking her miko trainee awake. "Ka-go-me!"

"Wjsjdhdjdjdjdjdjs..." The miko shook off the hand and kept sleeping, soundly.

Kaede sighed and took off her blanket. "Wake up!"

"Cold... Brr... Blanket..." Kagome reached with her hands for the missing warmth.

"You are not getting this back. Now, up you go. There's things to do and we have to get ready."

"...don't wanna... Five minutes..." Kagome babbled on.

Kaede shook her head. Kagome was a deep sleeper at times. Then she pondered; Was Inuyasha awake? Would he be of better use, perhaps?

Once again Kaede shook her head. "Kagome Taisho up this instant young lady! I can't believe you are being stubborn when it comes to your miko training."

Kagome turned around and finally opened her eyes. She rubbed them and yawned, staring at her teacher. "Kaede what's all the noise for? What time is it?"

"Never mind the time child. We have things to do so get up."

With a sigh Kagome got up from her cozy sleeping area and opened up one of the flaps from the cottage and looked outside to make a prediction as to what time it was. "Kaede! The sun isn't even out yet!"

Kaede shrugged. "I know." Was all she said as she was now on and about looking for herbs and such.

Kagome got a toothbrush and toothpaste out of her backpack and took a cup with water, ready to go outside and brush her teeth. She didn't even make it halfway to the cottage door when Kaede was on her case.

"Are you mad, child?"

"No. I just want to brush my teeth..."

"You can't step outside unprotected!"

"I'm going to be nearby. It's not like I'm going far."

"Not before we block the door for any evil trespassers." Kaede sighed once again and was sprinkling stuff around the cottage.

"Are you feeling okay, Kaede?"

"Child, do you not know what the day is?"

Kagome placed down the cup and looked for a basin, she would brush her teeth inside. "October, isn't it? ... Yeah, it's the end of october." Kagome just kept staring at Kaede as she put toothpaste into her green toothbrush.

"What is this october you speak of?"

Kagome began to brush her teeth. "Ze wenth mooomth offer winaar calendaaaeee" she said in between brushes.

"Child, your manners are still lacking."

Kagome smiled wrily. "Soweee." And she spit into the basin. "I said, the tenth month of the lunar calendar." Kagome stated as she spit out some more of the minty foam, if that much was obvious. Then again, she was from the future. "Ah, no... I mean to say it is the tenth lunar cycle, right?" She said after she rinsed her mouth.

Kaede nodded. "Good. So you do know. It is the end of the tenth lunar cycle. It's a very important day."

"The end of the lunar cycle? What happens at the end of... Oh! Halloween?"

"Halloween?" Kaede was perplexed. "You sure know strange words, child."

"Halloween, Kaede," Kagome said. "It's a holiday back in my world. It means it is a important day."

"Humans have not lost the ways, then?"

"Of what?"

"What exactly does this 'Halloween' consist of?"

Kagome pursed her lips in thought as she put away her toothbrush and toothpaste. "Dressing up in costumes, going candy hunting and partying, mostly."

"So, basically you do not celebrate All Hallows Eve?"

"Halloween is a short way to say All Hallows Eve." Kagome stated.

"Yet nothing you said describes the sacred rituals made on this day."

"Ah..." Kagome laughed a little. "Well, there aren't exactly witches or magic or anything of the sort in my time. It's an ordinary day technically."

Kaede sighed. "No wonder you wouldn't wake up."

"I'm wide awake now." Kagome retorted.

"You are." Kaede passed her a cup of tea. "Drink this."

Kagome took the cup and sat down in her fluffy futon. "Okay, so any reason as to why we're awake so early and what does Halloween have to do with this?"

"_All Hallows Eve_." Kaede clarified.

"Fine. All hallows eve." Kagome said as she drank her tea.

"Are you not aware of what awaits us once the lunar cycle ends?"

"A new one begins. November." Kagome said.

"And with it..."

"Thanksgiving? But that isn't until like, the middle of it."

"I guess I should start at the beginning. This is why I woke you up before the day started just in case something like this occured."

"I'm guessing I'll hear why this is so important."

"Child, do you even know what all hallows eve is for?"

"If I remember my history class correctly; a day when one connects to the spiritual side on a deeper level. Also, the portal between the dead and living thins so the dead can blend in something or other." Kagome waved her hands. "No way did I believe that, though."

"What you heard is not wrong. That is basically what it is but also..."

"It's true? Oh, come on Kaede. You can't be serious." Kagome glanced at her. "Are you?"

"I am being honest."

"Wait, wait, wait, you're trying to say that on Halloween..."

"All hallows eve." Kaede stated.

Kagome wanted to roll her eyes. "That on _all hallows eve_, I'm supposed to believe the dead can come back for a short period of time_?"_

"With the proper guidance, will-power and magic, anything is possible." Kaede simply said.

"Okay, so if it is true, let's say that it is, what happens to the dead spirits, do they go off on their own when the day ends?"

Kaede placed down the cup of tea she drank. "Some are not that lucky. That is why on the second day of the eleventh lunar cycle, we folks of magic energy and connected to the Earth send off the spirits that were not powerful enough to leave on their own."

"So basically day of the dead... A Mexican holiday."

"Your time period sure is strange." Kaede said. "Anyways, what I woke you up for."

"Yes, I'm _dying_ to know that much. Get it? _Dying_? Because... Oh forget it."

"Kagome, dear, focus."

"Right, right. Total focus." Kagome nodded. "Wait... On what?"

"Your spiritual connection needs work. You have had a visitor since the moon rose up into the heavens and you did not notice."

"You mean midnight?"

"Yes. Now, what I want you to do is to try to make a connection with the spirit. This is a good exercise as any to get training in."

Kagome blinked. "A _dead_ person came to visit me?"

"Do not be rude child. It is not wise to call a entity for its true form. Right now it is a spirit and you need to establish communications with it."

"Oh, great. I'm supposed to become a medium."

_{-}_

"I don't see how this helps with anything but making the place clean." Kagome uttered to herself as she sighed and shook her head grabbing the broom Kaede had handed her and started to sweep the cottage from right to left, as the instructions were given.

"By doing this, the dark energies that were in the house for an entire year disappear, leaving in its trace good energy." Kaede said, from her place in the corner where she was drinking tea.

"In my era, this is called sweeping, and it's a weekly thing, to keep our living area clean and dust free." Kagome said as she stopped brooming. "All we're doing is basic funny looking fung shi." Kagome groaned and before Kaede said anything else, she added, "It's the belief that moving things around a certain way can bring in positive vibes."

Kaede raised her head in curiosity. "It seems to me that your era has not entirely lost the ways, but simply they have changed the traditions around."

Kagome nodded. "All of this is considered mumbo jumbo in my era. Even I still find it hard to believe at times."

"Mumbo jumbo?"

Kagome waved her hand. "Nonexistent. If you believe in it you are a nutcase and have to be taken to the psychiatric hospital for a checkup because you have a few screws loose in the head."

Kaede just blinked and stared.

"It means you are crazy." She put down the broom and grabbed another cup of tea. "Things like spirits, demons, magic, they don't exist where I'm from. And if they do, they do a damned good job of hiding."

"Which is why you are not key'd in to your spiritual energy. You are not used to it."

"In my defense I never had to use something like that before I came here." Kagome retorted.

"The spirit is laughing at you." Kaede stated. "And pointing accusingly as if it were scoffing. Its crossing its arms now as if it were ashamed of something."

"Tell it to laugh with me, not at me." Kagome said. "Sheesh, who even is it?"

"I cannot say anything to it, you have to find out a way to do so on your own. Which comes on next part of your learning; trying to establish a connection."

"We are not going to use a crystal ball, right? And we don't need to wear a weird turban on our heads either?"

Kaede laughed. "You really do say the oddest things. All you need to do is sit cross legged, close your eyes, put up a barrier, empty your mind and wish with all your heart that you are able to communicate with your spirit."

"Sounds harder than using a crystal ball. What's the barrier for?"

"Have you not been paying attention? Today is all hallows eve! You do not know what evil is lurking out there."

Kagome sat comfortly in the corner, pressing her back to the sturdy wall of the cottage she crossed her legs and closed her eyes. "This better be important. I'm losing sleep here." She took a deep breath and imagined herself surrounded in a protective cacoon of bright blue energy, the color of her priestress magic.

_{-}_

In the end, the spirit following Kagome had been none other than Kikyo.

For what reason? Kagome sighed as she broke the connection and was just there, drained of her magical energy.

"So... You're telling me, Kikyo voluntarily came to check up on us?"  
She stated to Kaede, who was just there with a smirk on her face.

"Yes, child. And it is our duty to make sure she is able to return back to her world now that her mission is over."

"Day Of The Dead?" Kagome wondered.

"If you insist on calling it that."

Kagome sighed and stood up. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm going to go take a nap now." She said and Kaede hit her with the stick of the broom. "_Fine_! I'll close the connection first so no entities come through. Sheesh."


End file.
